We’re used to people using shows like The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent to launch themselves into the spotlight – but what you might not realise is that plenty of household names made their TV debuts in a very different way.
Long before shows like Cutting It, Wild At Heart and Britain’s Got Talent came calling, Mandy made her TV debut when Cilla Black tried to find her a match on Blind Date.
During her 1991 appearance on the show, Amanda introduced herself as a drama student who loved singing the blues as well as classics like Knees Up Mother Brown (??), as well as confessing her ultimate celeb crush was Jack Nicholson.
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Sadly, though, it wasn’t to be, with the future BGT star going home without a date… which her potential suitor seemed more than a bit gutted about when he clapped eyes on her for the first time.
But Mandy isn’t the only member of the BGT panel with a surprising game show appearance near the top of her CV.
Simon Cowell’s very first TV appearance was as a contestant on Sale Of The Century, two years before his eventual co-star’s stint on Blind Date.
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He may be best known now for his business decisions, but his time on Sale Of The Century ended in him leaving with 20 quid’s worth of cooking utensils. We wonder when the last time he picked them up was…
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Olly Murs’ optimism came back to bite him somewhat when he was a contestant on Deal Or No Deal, during which he turned down an offer of £26,000 and ended up pocketing just a tenner.
The future chart-topper appeared on the Channel 4 game show two years before shooting to fame on The X Factor, and after becoming a household name, he was invited back to compete in a celebrity special.
Unfortunately, he fared even worse second time around, ending up with just 50p. To make it up to his chosen charity, Olly pledged to donate £5000 of his own money.
We know him best as a member of JLS, who became one of The X Factor’s most successful acts ever in 2007, but Aston has actually been singing on screen for a lot longer than that.
As a teenager, he appeared on Stars In Their Eyes Kids, telling host Matthew Kelly: “Tonight, Matthew, I’m going to be Michael Jackson.”
He performed a cover of The Jackson 5’s Rockin’ Robin, ultimately finishing in second place.
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And speaking of celebs who appeared on TV classics as teenagers, let’s talk about Michael Underwood, who was a contestant on a kids’ special of The Crystal Maze when he was 15.
The presenter was the first of the young contestants to take on a challenge, but failed to win his team any crystals in either of the physical or skill-based tasks he took on.
Michael’s presenting career began almost a decade later, when he began hosting the dream-fulfilment show Whatever You Want.
Minus his trademark beard, Joe Wicks suffered a very stressful blunder when his buzzer appeared to not be working, leaving him rather vexed, as you can see in the video above.
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Just four years before The Office would achieve huge success, Stephen Merchant was a contestant on Blockbusters back in 1997.
Despite getting off to a good start, it wasn’t ultimately a strong showing for the comedy writer and actor, finishing with 15 points to his opponents’ 50.
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Another comedy star with a previous game show appearance in their past is Taskmaster favourite Alex Horne.
Alex did a great job on Countdown, winning three consecutive shows in 2008 during Des O’Connor and Carol Vorderman’s tenure, before he was eventually bested.
Having gone on to become a popular comic, Alex has returned to Countdown several times, appearing as a guest in Dictionary Corner as well as a panellist on the show’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats specials.
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","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrD_6wApzIg","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"Who Wants to be a Millionaire Mark Labbett (The Beast) 29th April 2006","author":"Ben Crowl | The Home Of Millionaire","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrwcOkjonY5As8aEiL3uEZA","provider_name":"YouTube","description":"On this episode of WWTBAM, we see Mark Labbett AKA The Beast from ITV’s The Chase, return to take on the Millionaire computer and it’s cash for questions.\nHow will he get on…. you’ll have to watch to find out!\n\nIf you are enjoying my videos, please Like, Comment and Subscribe for more.\n\nSocial Media:\nFacebook: BenCrowlWWTBAM","thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jrD_6wApzIg/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"thumbnail_height":720,"cache_age":86400,"options":{"_start":{"label":"Start from","value":"18","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_end":{"label":"End on","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}}},"fullBleed":false,"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[{"attribs":{},"scriptBody":"\r\n (function(){\r\n var c = document.getElementById(‘taboola-endslate-thumbnails’);\r\n c.id += ‘-‘ + Math.round(Math.random()*1e16);\r\n \r\n var taboolaParams = {\r\n loader: \"//cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/aol-huffingtonpost/loader.js\",\r\n mode: \"thumbnails-b\",\r\n container: c.id,\r\n placement: \"Endslate Thumbnails\",\r\n target_type: \"mix\"\r\n };\r\n \r\n if (typeof window.modulousQueue === \"function\") {\r\n \twindow.modulousQueue.add(function(){ doTaboola(taboolaParams); });\r\n } else {\r\n \tdoTaboola(taboolaParams);\r\n }\r\n }());\r\n"}],"otherHtml":"
Mark “The Beast” Labbett is one of the UK’s most famous quizzing experts, so it’s probably no great surprise that before finding fame on The Chase, he gave a few game shows a go, including Mastermind and Fifteen To One.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? was perhaps his most successful attempt. Having failed to land in the hot seat when he played Fastest Finger First in 2005, Mark – who was then working as a supply teacher – returned a year later, leaving with an impressive £32,000.
Much later, he made an appearance on the rebooted version of the show in 2020, serving as Charlotte Church’s “phone a friend” during a celebrity special.
Her specialist subject was “The Life And Works Of Lorenz Hart”, the lyricist behind standards including Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, The Lady Is A Tramp and My Funny Valentine. Sadly, no clip exists of Anne in action, but enjoy this snap of her looking ever-so-80s in the Mastermind studio all the same.
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Then in his early 20s, comedian and actor Stephen Fry appeared as a contestant on University Challenge in 1980, representing Queen’s College, Cambridge.
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He’d later achieve huge success as a quiz show host, when he began presenting the hit panel show QI.
Miriam Margolyes – University Challenge
Miriam Margolyes
Another iconic Cambridge alum to compete on University Challenge was the always-outrageous Miriam Margolyes.
We say “always-outrageous” because Miriam has long claimed that this appearance on University Challenge was the first case of anyone saying the f-word on the BBC after struggling to contain her disappointment about a botched answer.
The moment itself was censored, though Miriam has insisted it was very much apparent what she was saying – though sadly a clip of the explicit outburst doesn’t appear to exist.
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Around the celebrations for Sir Captain Tom Moore’s 100th birthday, the BBC dug out this old clip of him competing on Blankety Blank, where he tried to match his answers to celebrity panellists like Freddie Starr, Ruth Madoc and Roy Kinnear.
He went out on the first round during a 1983 Christmas special – but at least he got to keep the iconic Blankety Blank cheque book and pen, eh?
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Deal Or No Deal worked a little differently in America, where contestants had briefcases opened by models, rather than boxes being unveiled by their fellow players.
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One such model was the future Duchess of Sussex, then an aspiring actor by the name of Meghan Markle. She would, of course, later achieve success as part of the cast of Suits, before her humanitarian work led her to meeting (and, indeed, marrying) Prince Harry.
Over the weekend, it emerged the Australian soap could be forced off air after 37 years, following Channel 5′s announcement it is to stop screening the show in the UK this summer.
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Unless another British network picks it up, Neighbours will finish filming in June, as the show is largely funded by its international broadcast partner.
Jackie and Alan – who have played Susan and Karl Kennedy since 1994 – revealed the cast are “very emotional” at the real possibility the soap could end this year, and said a “hero” is needed to save it from the axe.
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Cast and crew were called to a meeting at the show’s studios in Melbourne on Monday to discuss its future, where Jackie said everyone present was in tears.
They’ve been our Neighbours for 37 years, but we could soon be farewelling the residents of Ramsay Street after UK network Channel 5 announced it would no longer broadcast the show. Jackie Woodburne plays Susan Kennedy, and joins us.#TheProjectTVpic.twitter.com/vxihFqDGiZ
Appearing on The Project, she said: “It’s been a rollercoaster, absolutely, the last 24 hours or 36 hours, as you can imagine. Kind of a lot of information to try and process. I still feel a bit in shock, a bit overwhelmed.
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“We had a meeting today where our producers gave us some more information, really nothing more than what’s already been out there, but, look, I have to say, the feeling was one of… it was just, it was quite lovely.
“Everybody is sad. We’re all crying, we’re all very emotional about it all, but we’re all so determined to bring this show home as best we can.”
In a newsletter sent to fans, Alan said that the news had “come as a huge shock to a lot of people”.
“The show still has upwards of 1.5 million viewers in the UK on any given day and it seemed to be going strong,” he said, adding that “it seems that the axing of Neighbours is a financial decision”.
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He continued: “We need a hero and, maybe, one will come along. In the meantime we have at least seven months of fantastic Neighbours episodes to look forward to.”
If production does come to an end, Jackie said that “everyone wants to honour the show” and end it “with love and with pride and dignity”.
“Would you want to be a writer in that room trying to wind up a show after 38 years in a way that’s going to please everybody? I mean, no pressure at all!” she said.
Jackie added that it would be “awesome” if reports claiming Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan will return to the soap to see it off were true.
The pair found international fame as Charlene Mitchell and Scott Robinson in the 1980s, with their on-screen wedding drawing 20 million UK TV viewers in 1988.
Scott and Charlene’s wedding drew 20 million viewers in 1988
Fremantle Media/Shutterstock
Jason, whose daughter Jemma currently appears on the soap as Harlow Robinson, tweeted on Sunday: “Neighbours changed the Australian television landscape. It launched many careers over decades including mine. Engaged and entertained audiences for generations.
“Hoping that it will find a new home with another UK broadcaster and continue to provide opportunity and entertainment.”
@neighbours changed the Australian television landscape. It launched many careers over decades including mine. Engaged and entertained audiences for generations.Hoping that it will find a new home with another U.K. broadcaster and continue to provide opportunity and entertainment
Channel 5 has aired Neighbours in the UK since 2008, after poaching it from BBC One, where it had screened twice daily since 1986.
The network said the decision to drop Neighbours had been motivated by its “current focus is on increasing our investment in original UK drama, which has strong appeal for our viewers”.
Neighbours has long been more popular in the UK than in Australia, where it airs to around 100,000 daily viewers on digital channel 10Peach, with Channel 5 heavily contributing to its production costs.
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The cast of Neighbours were told the show faces an uncertain future
Fremantle/Channel 5
Aussie network Ten said it is its “intention to continue our association with Neighbours if another broadcast partner comes forward”.
An email to staff from Fremantle Media executive producer Jason Herbison, seen by the Sydney Morning Herald, said that “discussions are ongoing, however there is no new broadcaster at the moment”.
He said that “production must end, effectively resting the show”, with filming set to wrap on 10 June, and the show remaining on air until August.
If you thought the clues on The Masked Singer had become harder over the last two series, there’s a reason for that.
Show bosses have revealed how they were forced to up their game on their cryptic pointers after too many people guessed Denise Van Outen’s identity in series one.
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The former Big Breakfast presenter performed as Fox back in 2020, but her identity was soon rumbled after a specific clue about Denise’s love of collecting teapots that returned plenty of Google results.
Speaking to Daily Star, Derek McLean, who works for production company Bandicoot, said coming up with the clues has been a “massive learning curve” since the show’s debut in the UK.
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“We thought it was a great clue and no one would pick up on it. Turns out if you Google ‘Denise Van Outen and teapots’ it’s there in loads of articles,” he said.
Denise Van Outen performed as Fox on The Masked Singer in 2020
“It was a massive learning curve. Everything is findable. If you think you can Google the answer now, it’s not going to be there.
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“People might say our clues are tough but we love all the mad guessing.”
He added: “Everyone might want them to be like the quick crossword in The Times but what we are is the cryptic crossword in The Telegraph.”
Meanwhile, producer Dan Nettleton admitted that there are more identities of celebrities “out there” on social media than last year – but there’s also one that no-one seems to have yet cracked.
“People are miles away from guessing it,” he teased.
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Traffic Cone, Rockhopper, Robobunny, Panda, Mushroom, Firework and Doughnuts all remain in the competition, with the likes of Natalie Imbruglia, Charlotte Church, Michelle Williams and Markus Feehily all rumoured to be behind those masks.
The Masked Singer continues on Saturday at 7pm on ITV.
The indie rocker was revealed to be the performer behind Poodle on the surreal ITV show on Saturday night.
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Tom had found himself in the bottom two against fellow contestant Robobunny after performing Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield.
While Tom’s name had been circulating on social media over the last few weeks, none of the judging panel – made up of Davina McCall, Rita Ora, Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan – were able to correctly guess his identity.
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Their guesses included singer Michael Bublé, footballer Peter Crouch and TV presenter Rylan Clark.
Tom described the panel’s guesses as “hopeless”, saying: “Amongst the guesses were Snoop Dogg, Grayson Perry and a vague suggestion that I simply must be a drag queen.
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“I was kind of flattered that they eventually got stuck on Mika, who’s a great singer and performer.
“I have to admit to being surprised that Jonathan didn’t have an inkling it was me, especially given that I must have been on his TV show several times over the years.”
Tom Chaplin was behind the mask
After being unmasked, Tom revealed he had chosen to sing Unwritten because Keane had beaten Natasha to the 2005 Brit Award for best breakthrough act.
Tom rose to fame with Keane when they released their debut album Hopes And Fears in 2004, which reached number one.
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The band reached three further chart-topping albums, with their latest, Cause And Effect, reaching number two in 2019.
Their hits include Somewhere Only We Know, Bedshaped, Everybody’s Changing and Is It Any Wonder?
Tom with Kean bandmates Tim Rice-Oxley and Richard Huges at the 2005 Brit Awards
JMEnternational via Getty Images
Tom said appearing on The Masked Singer had been “exhilarating, terrifying and confusing – it has been a total blast”.
He also explained his wife Natalie was the reason behind his choice of outfit.
“We love this show and she said that if you get offered this show, if you can be a Poodle, you have to do it. She loves Poodles more than human beings.”
James Buckley has ruled out ever returning to The Inbetweeners as Jay Cartwright, saying: “There’s not enough money in the world.”
The actor played sex-mad fibber Jay in the beloved E4 sitcom about a group of hapless sixth form students between 2008 and 2010, before reprising the role in two subsequent films.
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However, while James described playing Jay as “the best job” in the world, he explained he doesn’t want to spoil a “universally loved” show.
During an interview with Chris Moyles on Radio X, James said: “I don’t want to go near it anymore, not because I don’t think I would have an amazing time doing it, because I know I would.
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“I love the boys, I love the writers. Doing The Inbetweeners was the best job in the world.
“All we did was muck around all day long and they filmed us doing it, and, at the end of the day, we might have had an episode … or a film or something.
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“But it might – you know, as I’m getting older – it’s looking like it might be the only thing that I do professionally that is universally loved.
“There’s not enough money in the world for me to spoil that.”
James Buckley
Eamonn M. McCormack via Getty Images
James also admitted he knows he will probably always be known as Jay from The Inbetweeners.
“As an actor, it’s difficult professionally for me to move away from that character,” said James, who has also starred in the likes of Only Fools And Horses spin-off Rock & Chips and Doctor Who and is currently appearing in West End play 2:22 A Ghost Story.
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“But you can’t have it all, can you? You can’t be in a big hit sitcom and then moan about it after!”
(L-R) Blake Harrison, James Buckley, Simon Bird and Joe Thomas arrive at the premiere of The Inbetweeners 2 in 2014
Brendon Thorne via Getty Images
James and his former co-stars Simon Bird, Joe Thomas and Blake Harrison reunited in 2019 to mark the 10th anniversary of The Inbetweeners with a one-off non-scripted special titled Fwends Reunited.
He also shared the discomfort he experienced during filming it, he explained: “It became a thing that wasn’t a celebration of this good thing I did in my life, it was me being taken the piss out of for hours on end.
“I didn’t have the personality or the intelligence to cope with it, especially when you’re up against someone like Jimmy Carr, who’s super quick and super funny. So I come across as a complete moron through the whole thing.”
The Chris Moyles Show airs weekdays 6.30am to 10am and Saturday 8am to 11am on Radio X.
Bradley Walsh has revealed that lawyers can often be forced to step in on the set of The Chase.
The presenter has hosted the hit ITV quiz show since it debuted in 2009, reading out all the questions as a team of players attempt to beat a professional quizzer, otherwise known as The Chaser.
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In an interview with Radio Times, Bradley has told of how strict things are during filming if he stumbles on any words while posing the questions, especially during the Final Chase, where both sides are up against the clock to see who can give the most correct answers.
Bradley – who does not get to see the questions prior to asking them – said: “If there is a slight misread, I am stopped immediately – bang – by the lawyers.
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“We have the compliance lawyers in the studio all the time. What you have to do is go back to the start of the question, literally on video tape where my mouth opens – or where it’s closed from the previous question – and the question is re-asked. It is stopped to the split second.
“It means no time is lost for either the contestant or the Chaser.”
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Bradley with the team of Chasers
Bradley is also required to read the questions at a certain speed in the Final Chase, explaining: “You have to be at such a speed: if you’re a contestant and I go ‘what’s… the capital… of France… ’ they’d be dead and buried in thirty seconds.
“I have to make sure they get up to speed and they’re getting about 18 or 19 questions answered correctly.”
He calls that number of correct answers a “banana skin score” score that will trip the Chasers up and stop them getting into a rhythm when it is their turn in the hot seat.
“They can answer 24, 25 questions in two minutes. We’ve even almost reached thirty,” Bradley added.
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Bradley takes 3.6 to 4 seconds to ask a question, and show bosses also use an independent professional monitoring firm called Beyond Dispute, to monitor the questions that are asked and ensure they are selected at random.
The Chase airs weekdays at 5pm on ITV. Read the full interview with Bradley Walsh in this week’s issue of Radio Times, on sale now.
Well, if you thought that was shocking, you should hear the “science” behind her pongy product.
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The reality star risked putting Steph’s Packed Lunch viewers off their sarnies on Thursday, when she appeared on the Channel 4 daytime show to discuss her £38k-a-month business.
When host Steph McGovern asked Stephanie about the process of farting in a jar, she revealed it actually involves more than you might think.
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“I have it down to a pretty good science,” she said. “I bought these fabric flower petals and I fart directly on them because the fabric really captures the scent better.
“And then I just put that flower petal into a jar, I seal it up, I tape it and then I ship it out.”
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Revealing how she got into sending people farts in a jar in the first place, Stephanie said: “I have a YouTube channel for about eight years and a lot of my fans that were into me were asking for strange items, articles of clothing. But one repeat request I’ve been getting throughout the years is a fart.
“I thought it was just a joke, people just messing with me, but one day I decided to throw them up on sale and see if people would buy them. I wasn’t expecting people to but they actually sold out within two days.”
Stephanie Matto with her jar of farts
Jam Press/@stepankamatto
Earlier this week, Stephanie revealed how producing so much wind eventually took its toll after she consumed three protein shakes and a huge bowl of black bean soup in one day to fulfil her surprisingly popular product.
Feeling that “something was not right” with a pressure in her stomach that moved upwards throughout her body, Stephanie says she thought she was “having a stroke”.
After arriving at the hospital, it was made clear to Stephanie that she wasn’t experiencing a stroke or heart attack, but “very intense gas pains”.
“I was advised to change my diet and to take a gas suppressant medication, which has effectively ended my business,” she said.
Steph’s Packed Lunch airs weekdays at 12.30pm on Channel 4.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Christmas special proved a ratings hit, claiming the most viewers outside of the Queen’s festive message.
The Strictly special, which was won by pop star Anne-Marie, was watched by an average of 5.8 million viewers, according to overnight figures from the BBC.
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The 30-year-old singer and her professional dance partner Graziano Di Prima were victorious after performing a thrilling cha cha, which earned them a perfect score of 40 from the judges.
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BBC One secured eight of the top 10 programmes on Christmas Day – with ITV taking eighth and ninth place with episodes of Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
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The Queen’s Christmas broadcast, which was around 10 minutes long and saw her reflect on the death of her husband the Duke of Edinburgh and the continuing impact of the coronavirus pandemic, was watched by 7.4 million viewers on the BBC.
Queen Elizabeth II during her annual Christmas broadcast
Victoria Jones via PA Wire/PA Images
Third place went to Call The Midwife with 4.7 million viewers, Michael McIntyre’s Christmas Wheel secured 4.6 million and was fourth, while Blankety Blank took fifth with 4.2 million.
Sixth place was taken by Mary Poppins Returns, the 2018 sequel to the well-loved 1964 film, with 3.7 million viewers, while animated production Superworm was in seventh with 3.34 million.
On ITV, Coronation Street secured 3.25 million viewers and Emmerdale was watched by 3 million.
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In 10th place, the festive EastEnders special had an audience of 2.9 million.
BBC One sitcom Mrs Brown’s Boys, which usually secures high audience numbers, did not feature in the top 10.
Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer, said: “Viewers chose the BBC on Christmas Day and entertained them in their millions, with Strictly taking the top spot.
“Nothing brings the country together at Christmas quite like the BBC, there was something for everyone with the seven most popular programmes across the day that caps off a brilliant year on the BBC, celebrating British creativity where we have delivered hits and award winning work and seen huge audiences come to our shows.
“It’s these moments, in a time of intense competition, that prove that after 99 years the BBC matters more than ever.
“We have an ambitious and exciting year ahead in 2022 to mark our centenary year with an unmissable range of world class content that will celebrate and reflect the unique role the BBC continues to play in the lives of audiences across the UK.”
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Following the success of A Very English Scandal starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw in 2018, the anthology series is returning – albeit slightly retitled – to tell the story of another high-profile scandal from the history books.
A Very British Scandal is set to be one of the biggest dramas airing over the Christmas period, beginning in a plum Boxing Day evening slot, with the following two parts being shown over the subsequent evenings.
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From the real story, to what happened next, this is what you need to know…
What is A Very British Scandal about and is it a true story?
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The Duke and Duchess of Argyll in 1959
Fairfax Media Archives via Getty Images
A Very British Scandal tells the real-life story of the tempestuous marriage and the bitter, brutal divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll.
The case played out in the white-hot glare of the 1960s media, with accusations of forgery, theft, violence, drug-taking, secret recording, bribery and an explicit Polaroid picture all making the front pages. The saga ended with Margaret Campbell fighting to prove that she was more than just a so-called “Dirty Duchess”, as she was labelled in the press.
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During the divorce process, the Duke produced a Polaroid photograph of the Duchess performing a sexual act on another unidentified man – nicknamed “the headless man” – that he had found, in a move that has been likened to modern day revenge porn in reflections on the case.
He also produced a list of men with whom he believed his wife had had extra-marital affairs. A judge subsequently granted him a divorce, calling the Duchess a “wholly immoral” and “completely promiscuous woman”.
The series turns the scandal inside out to explore the social and political climate of post-war Britain, looking at attitudes towards women during that era, and examining how Margaret was betrayed by her friends and publicly shamed by a society that revelled in her fall from grace.
Writer Sarah Phelps says: ”It’s a story about a woman who refused to be slut shamed, who refused to go quietly and refused to do as she was told. She set fire to the expectation of her class, gender and her sex rather than go quietly.
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“She put the private lives of the wealthy, the landed and the titled all over the front pages, not the untouchable great and good but bare forked animals.”
Who were the Duke and Duchess of Argyll?
The Duke and Duchess at their wedding in 1951
Keystone via Getty Images
Margaret Campbell was the daughter of a self-made millionaire and famous for being an “It Girl” and a debutante before her second marriage to Ian Campbell in 1951, where she became part of the aristocracy for a brief period.
Ian Campbell was the 11th Duke Of Argyll, inheriting the dukedom from his first cousin once removed, Niall Diarmid Campbell, in 1949.
He had been married twice before he and Margaret tied the knot. His first marriage was to Jeanne Campbell, with whom he had two sons – including Lord Colin Campbell, the ex-husband of royal biographer and I’m A Celebrity contestant Lady Colin Campbell.
Who plays the Duke and Duchess of Argyll in A Very British Scandal?
Claire Foy plays Margaret
via PA Features Archive/Press Association Images
Claire Foy (The Crown, Wolf Hall) and Paul Bettany (Iron Man, WandaVision) lead the cast as Margaret and Ian Campbell.
Speaking about her character, Claire says: “There’ve been so many books written about Margaret and so many rumours about her. She even wrote her own book but in that she doesn’t refer to her sexual life – as why would she? Margaret’s sexuality seems to have become another personality or something outside of herself, which I find that really bizarre and strange.
“In this story, what I’m keen on is how easily she fell in love and how she kept letters and mementos of her lovers. In a way, I think that was the romantic side of her and her sexuality was linked to that. But also in this story, no one should have the right to know that side of her. It’s no one’s business and it never was. It’s straight misogyny.”
Paul Bettany plays Ian Campbell
via PA Features Archive/Press Association Images
Paul adds: “The press was rabid and incredibly cruel to Margaret and if you read the old stories back, the misogyny is extraordinary. If this were happening now, she would be seen in a much different light.”
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He says of their story: “It’s been fascinating to get into and also the porn shaming of this woman.. The idea of a husband doing that is so distasteful and cruel. It’s so shocking to think that it happened at that time. It still happens and it’s appalling.”
What happened to the Duchess after the events of A Very British Scandal?
Margaret Campbell pictured in 1975
Ian Tyas via Getty Images
After the divorce was finalised in 1963, Margaret published a memoir, Forget Not.
She lost her fortune and subsequently opened her Mayfair house at 48 Upper Grosvenor Street for paid tours before later moving to a suite at the Grosvenor House Hotel.
Following another move, she was later placed in a nursing home in Pimlico, where she died in 1993 following a fall.
She was buried alongside her first husband and father of her three children, Charles Sweeny, in Brookwood Cemetery in Woking, Surrey.
It was reported that Margaret died largely penniless.
Ian Campbell remarried shortly after his divorce was granted, wedding Mathilda Coster Mortimer in 1963. The couple remained together until Ian’s death in 1973.
When is A Very British Scandal on?
A Very British Scandal will air on Boxing Day at 9pm on BBC One and continues over the next two consecutive nights.
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All episodes will also be available as a boxset to stream from 26 December on BBC iPlayer.
While every year there are moans and groans about the Christmas TV schedules being packed with repeats, there’s one show that we definitely don’t mind watching again and again – the original Gavin & Stacey Christmas special.
The BBC sitcom had been running for two seasons by the time we got the first festive episode in 2008, and what a Christmas special it was.
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While we’d seen plenty of interactions between the entire Shipman and West clan in the years previous, there was a real moment of joy seeing them all prepare for their first Christmas together following Gavin and Stacey’s wedding.
Not only did the hour-long episode deliver on comedy and plot, but it also highlighted all those little Christmas foibles that go on in households up and down the country come 25 December.
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And while it was a burst of nostalgia having the gang back together in 2019 for the much-anticipated reunion episode, there’s something magical about the original that made it such a festive masterpiece.
Here’s why it’s a show that’s worthy of repeat viewing every December…
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1. Pam’s stance on Christmas cards
Pam had strong views on when to send Christmas cards
Prior to 2008, we were always baffled as to why some people would send their Christmas cards before December had even rolled around, but Pam Shipman imparted some serious wisdom on us that made us completely reverse our stance.
“What is the point of sending cards that arrive on Christmas Eve? They’ll get taken down in a few days. That’s why I send all mine on the first of November. Gives people seven weeks to enjoy them,” she said.
You have to admit, she has a point, right?
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2. John who?
Step-brother John!
Speaking of Christmas cards, Pam and Mick also tapped into something we’ve all heard our parents say when they receive a festive greeting from someone they cannot quite place.
“Oh, look at that, ‘From John’… It could be mechanic John… It won’t be John from Ann and John.”
3. Doris being “absolutely twatted” before lunchtime on Christmas Eve
Oh how we miss Doris
A relatable queen.
4. Nessa in the grotto
“Oh! Oh! Oh! Merry Christmas” was an inspired piece of writing from Ruth Jones and James Corden.
","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcAUKOICPn4","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"Smithy and Gavin’s Christmas sing-a-long | Gavin & Stacey – BBC","author":"BBC","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCj956IF62FbT7Gouszaj9w","provider_name":"YouTube","description":"Subscribe and 🔔 to OFFICIAL BBC YouTube 👉 https://bit.ly/2IXqEIn\nStream original BBC programmes FIRST on BBC iPlayer 👉 https://bbc.in/2J18jYJ\n\nGavin, Stacey, Smithy and Nessa have a Christmas to remember and not necessarily in a good way in a special festive edition of the award-winning comedy.\n\nGavin & Stacey | Christmas Special 2008 | BBC\n\n#BBC #BBCiPlayer #GavinandStacey\n\nAll our TV channels and S4C are available to watch live through BBC iPlayer, although some programmes may not be available to stream online due to rights. If you would like to read more on what types of programmes are available to watch live, check the ‘Are all programmes that are broadcast available on BBC iPlayer?’ FAQ 👉 https://bbc.in/2m8ks6v.","thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lcAUKOICPn4/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"thumbnail_height":720,"cache_age":86400,"options":{"_start":{"label":"Start from","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_end":{"label":"End on","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}}},"fullBleed":false,"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[{"attribs":{},"scriptBody":"\r\n (function(){\r\n var c = document.getElementById(‘taboola-endslate-thumbnails’);\r\n c.id += ‘-‘ + Math.round(Math.random()*1e16);\r\n \r\n var taboolaParams = {\r\n loader: \"//cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/aol-huffingtonpost/loader.js\",\r\n mode: \"thumbnails-b\",\r\n container: c.id,\r\n placement: \"Endslate Thumbnails\",\r\n target_type: \"mix\"\r\n };\r\n \r\n if (typeof window.modulousQueue === \"function\") {\r\n \twindow.modulousQueue.add(function(){ doTaboola(taboolaParams); });\r\n } else {\r\n \tdoTaboola(taboolaParams);\r\n }\r\n }());\r\n"}],"otherHtml":"
It’s the scene that inspired James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke, and despite the fact he’s had the likes of Adele, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga join him in his car to sing along to their biggest hits, it’s still Smithy’s duet down the phone on Do They Know It’s Christmas? that remains the original and the best.
We’ve also never been able to say Midge Ure’s name the same way since.
The scene where Gwen and Bryn share their first ever mint Baileys before boarding the coach to Essex wasn’t big or flashy, but it had a quiet comfort and poignancy about it, which Gavin & Stacey always nails so perfectly.
7. Mick’s turkey saga
The turkey scene in Gavin and Stacey
Are you basting it? Are you soaking it overnight? Are you doing it the Nigella way? Or are you sticking to Jamie Oliver, because you “know where you are with him”?
Through the characters of Mick and Pete, the Christmas special managed to perfectly encapsulate the bizarre obsession and competitiveness dads have with other men about their turkeys each year.
8. The fight
Pam wasn’t exactly thrilled with Gavin’s news
Pam’s eruption after finding out her “little prince” was planning on relocating to Barry set off a chain of events that made this scene one of the most memorable in Gavin & Stacey history.
Not only did Alison Steadman absolutely commit to the moment, but we also saw Gwen finally stand up to Pam, Nessa threaten to “see her outside” (and Pam stupidly believe she could take her on), before Pete went toe-to-toe with Dave Coaches to defend Dawn’s honour.
Admittedly, there’s some language that we’d hope wouldn’t make it into the script in 2021 and we were very pleased when they all put the row behind them. But it has to be said, this scene shook up the dynamic between all the characters and also sent up those fights that happen in every family each festive season.
9. Pam and Mick’s royal romp
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Mick in his comedy Prince Charles ears
We learned that Pam’s obsession with the Duchess of Cornwall translated into the bedroom as she prepared to be “knighted” with Mick’s “special sword” while he was wearing a comedy pair of Prince Charles ears.
10. Pam’s vegetarianism comes unstuck
As “Three Steaks Pam” faced the prospect of a turkey-less Christmas after her long-standing lies about being a vegetarian, it transpired she hadn’t fooled anyone with her stance on meat – except for Gwen that is, who had bought her a vegetarian cookbook for Christmas.
11. The opening of the “presents”
Nessa and Dave gifted everyone a single chocolate from a box of Celebrations
Never before had we been so eager to see which Celebration someone was eating, and we definitely still relate to Smithy wrapping all his presents in tin foil for ease.
Doris gifting Gwen talcum powder, despite her still having a stack of it unused at home from previous years, was also a foible we’ve seen play out during present openings over the years.
12. The Nessa and Smithy sexual tension
Smithy didn’t want Nessa to marry Dave
Years before we got the 2019 Christmas proposal, there was a special moment between Nessa and Smithy that gave fans hope that the characters would finally end up together as Smithy urged her not to marry Dave Coaches.
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All episodes of Gavin & Stacey are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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